Plants Absorb 31% More CO2 Than Previously Estimated

This is a huge correction!

We do not even know how much CO2 is absorbed by plants!

Global Warming is a hoax and Climate Change is a religion!

"... Key to the new estimate is better representation of a process called mesophyll diffusion — how OCS and CO2 move from leaves into chloroplasts where carbon fixation occurs.  Understanding mesophyll diffusion is essential to figuring out how efficiently plants are conducting photosynthesis, and even how they might adapt to changing environments. ..."

"Plants the world over are absorbing about 31% more carbon dioxide than previously thought, according to a new assessment developed by scientists. The research, detailed in the journal Nature, is expected to improve Earth system simulations that scientists use to predict the future climate, and spotlights the importance of natural carbon sequestration for greenhouse gas mitigation. ...

Pan-tropical rainforests accounted for the biggest difference between previous estimates and the new figures, a finding that was corroborated by ground measurements, Gu said. The discovery suggests that rainforests are a more important natural carbon sink than previously estimated using satellite data. ..."

From the abstract:

"Terrestrial photosynthesis, or gross primary production (GPP), is the largest carbon flux in the biosphere, but its global magnitude and spatiotemporal dynamics remain uncertain. The global annual mean GPP is historically thought to be around 120 PgC yr−1, which is about 30–50 PgC yr−1 lower than GPP inferred from the oxygen-18 (18O) isotope and soil respiration. This disparity is a source of uncertainty in predicting climate–carbon cycle feedbacks. Here we infer GPP from carbonyl sulfide, an innovative tracer for CO2 diffusion from ambient air to leaf chloroplasts through stomata and mesophyll layers. We demonstrate that explicitly representing mesophyll diffusion is important for accurately quantifying the spatiotemporal dynamics of carbonyl sulfide uptake by plants. From the estimate of carbonyl sulfide uptake by plants, we infer a global contemporary GPP of 157 (±8.5) PgC yr−1, which is consistent with estimates from 18O (150–175 PgC yr−1) and soil respiration (PgC yr−1), but with an improved confidence level. Our global GPP is higher than satellite optical observation-driven estimates (120–140 PgC yr–1) that are used for Earth system model benchmarking. This difference predominantly occurs in the pan-tropical rainforests and is corroborated by ground measurements, suggesting a more productive tropics than satellite-based GPP products indicated. As GPP is a primary determinant of terrestrial carbon sinks and may shape climate trajectories, our findings lay a physiological foundation on which the understanding and prediction of carbon–climate feedbacks can be advanced."

Plants Absorb 31% More CO2 Than Previously Estimated | Technology Networks "Plants across the world are absorbing about 31% more carbon dioxide than previously thought, a new study reveals."

Plant CO2 uptake rises by nearly one third in new global estimates (original news release)

Terrestrial photosynthesis inferred from plant carbonyl sulfide uptake (no public access)